James Ray obit

Former JU hoops star, NBA first-round draft pick James Ray, 66, passes away in Gainesville

 

He was not on the list.

Former Jacksonville University basketball star James Ray, who was drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets and went on to play three seasons in the NBA, passed away Tuesday due to complications from undisclosed surgery in Gainesville, Florida. He was 66.

Ray, a 6-foot-8 power forward and 36-year Jacksonville resident, played for the Dolphins from 1976-80, leading them to the 1979 NCAA Tournament. He finished his JU career as the fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,591 points and fifth in rebounding with 793. He currently stands eighth in both those categories.

The Nuggets selected Ray with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1980 draft, but he was released by Denver after the 1982-83 season. He had knee issues and played in 103 games, averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. Ray finished his career playing overseas in Italy, Spain and Turkey before retiring from basketball in 1987.

Former JU teammate Steve Tutson, who played with Ray for two seasons, remembers him as a force in the college game.

“He was silky smooth, very unassumng,” said Tutson. “He was a dominant ballplayer, but not a rah-rah guy."

Another teammate, Mike Hackett, who remains in the top-10 in scoring (1,508 points) and rebounding (862) at JU, said of Ray: "He was the quietest guy and uber-athletic at 6-foot-8," said Hackett. "He had the sweetest jumper of anybody that size. Everybody wanted to hang around him because he had so much positive energy."

Providence High basketball coach Jimmy Martin, a teammate of Ray's for three seasons, added: "He was a player ahead of his time in the late 1970s, a 6-foot-8 guy who could step outside and shoot it. Everybody in the NBA is a stretch guy now that can score inside and outside and he was doing that a long time ago. He was always a mismatch for the other team because he was so hard to defend."

Ray is a member of the JU Athletic Hall of Fame and his number 43 is one of seven retired jerseys hanging in the rafters at Swisher Gym.

Ray faced tough medical hurdles

Much of Ray’s post-basketball life was littered with medical challenges, the most severe in 2007 when the JU legend was given three months to live without a lung transplant. It required a donor with a minimum height of 6-foot-5, which was found in time for Ray to have a successful transplant in February, 2008.

In 2001, Ray was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a condition that causes the immune system to overreact and make lumps. Symptoms can be mild or in severe cases, possibly cause lung damage.

Ray also underwent brain surgery in 1989 due to an infection he picked up during his final playing days in Turkey. Before his passing, Ray underwent surgery at Shands Hospital in Gainesville on November 8 and remained in the intensive care unit until his death.

His wife of 43 years, Phyllis (P.J.), has been his caretaker and greatly admired how her husband dealt with all his medical challenges.

“James maintained the same low-key, mild-mannered persona,” P.J. told the Times-Union. “He was always friendly to people, but he preferred being at home. After the lung transplant, his immune system was suppressed. We were living the COVID lifestyle before anybody knew of COVID, being away from people and wearing a mask.

“I told him he was like a cat with nine lives. He persevered through all that. He remained calm, never said it was a bear or asked ‘why me.’ He just went along with it.”

After his playing career, Ray spent the next 20 years working primarily with at-risk youth for the Police Athletic League (PAL), Boys and Girls Club of Jacksonville and retired after serving as a counselor for juvenile offenders at Impact House in 2007.

Ray, a native of New Orleans, played basketball at Landry High. He leaves behind his wife and son, Jarvis, who lives in South Carolina.

The family requests prayers and privacy at this time. A celebration of Ray’s life will be held at an undetermined date.